


Thedosian Field Trips

by PrydeOfArlathan



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Biology, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Smut, Science Experiments, University
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-06-04 10:47:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6654976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrydeOfArlathan/pseuds/PrydeOfArlathan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aena Lavellan is going to a university field trip with her friend and she's excited : she will learn a lot, study animals, make experiments instead of staying in a classroom all day. It will be tough, it will be rough, but the most difficult task she'll have to face may not be related to science.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bugs

The first time Aena Lavellan saw him, she was just stepping out of the bus.  
  
He was in front of the building, hands in his pockets. With his too-white shirt and light beige pants, he seemed absolutely out of place here in the middle of the Brecilian forest. Who was he? A lost tourist? A student from the previous group who was accidentally left behind? He had glasses on his forehead and was squinting at a paper stuck to a window.  
  
She briefly wondered why he wasn’t putting his glasses on to read.  
  
Her musings were interrupted by Sera, who bumped into her with her huge backpack, as always completely oblivious to the people around her. Aena forgot the stranger and turned towards her friend instead. The taller elf was looking at the building in front of them with a scandalized expression.  
  
“What! This building is old as balls! Are we really gonna stay there?”  
  
Aena rolled her eyes, partly amused by her reaction. It was exactly what she had expected when her friend had announced she would participate to the trip. Sera tended to forget some realities of student life. But Aena was glad to have her here – at least they would have fun in the evenings.  
  
“We’re here to do field experiments, Sera, not stay at a hotel. The building belongs to our uni and it’s an old train station…”  
  
Sera stuck her tongue out at her.  
  
“Prrrttt! Don’t be a boring Dalish! I’m only here to play in the mud!”  
  
She laughed.  
  
“The contrary would have surprised me.”  
  
They followed their professor inside.  
  
***  
  
The second time she saw him, Aena was unpacking in one of the numerous rooms in the building. Sera had taken the upper bunk of their bed, and they were surrounded by the other female students of the group.  
  
“Um, excuse me?” he asked politely, addressing Aena - who was the closest to the door. He seemed as lost as before, but this time his glasses were properly on his nose. Up close, she could see how tall he was. He had broad shoulders, lovely ears and full lips. She also noted he had a backpack, so she assumed he was going to stay at the station, too. “Do you know where I can find Professor Harding, please?”  
  
He looked at her expectantly, moving his hands all around in nervous gestures. On the straps of his backpack. In his pockets. Arms crossed. Pushing his glasses back. He seemed so awkward. And she was fascinated. What was his question again?  
  
“Professors are on the other side of the building, egg head!”  
  
Sera’s words shook her from her contemplation and she gave him a sorry smile. Her friend was blunt, and he had looked at her as if shocked. Sera took some time to get used to.  
  
“You have to go downstairs and then up again the round staircase. She must be up there.”  
  
His eyes were on her again and she started to blush. She couldn’t really tell if his eyes were storm grey or blue but his stare was intense and the smiled that appeared on his face was warm and gentle. What was he doing here?  
  
“Thank you. I’ll see you later.”  
  
He went down the stairs and she idly wondered if he had been addressing her alone or all the girls in the room.  
  
“Eeeeeh! There are bugs on the floor! Nobody tell Aena or she will eat them!”  
  
Sera was shrieking again. Creators, that girl was _loud_. Following her stare, she did see some bugs slowly walking on the wall next to an open window. She should never have told her friend about Dalish meals.  
  
“Get used to it, Sera. You will see a lot of bugs in the coming weeks.” she said flatly, ignoring the general snickering in the room. “And I’m in charge of the cooking most days - so don’t tempt me.”  
  
Suddenly, nobody was laughing anymore.  
  
***  
  
The third time she saw him was in the evening.  
  
Professor Harding and all the students were gathered in the small dining room – the place where they would eat each morning and each evening, and where they could work with their team. The students were responsible for making dinner for everyone – professors included. Harding was reading the tasks assigned to each student – grocery shopping, cooking, dish washing, cleaning the room.  
  
Aena knew she was in charge of cooking, so she wasn’t really paying attention. That’s why she saw him immediately as he stepped into the room. He was still dressed all in white and beige but his glasses had disappeared. He sat on the only chair free chair – just beside Aena’s. Quite funnily, he started to move almost immediately, shifting his position and seemingly finding no comfort. What was he doing on a field trip? Soon they would be out in the forest, in the mud, under the rain…  
  
She started to examine him again. Her gaze passed upon his shoulders, his arms, the shape of his ears, his profile – all angles and soft expression. As she was looking at his eyes, wondering again which color they were, he suddenly turned his head and caught her staring. He paused and blinked several times. As he was opening his mouth – what was he going to say? – Professor Harding asked for their attention again. Aena’s head snapped back to the professor, ears burning.  
  
“And last but not least, I’m asking you to welcome Professor Harel, observer from the Arlathan University.” The dwarf said, gesturing towards the stranger beside Aena. “He’s here to help you in your experiments and also work on his own. He’s good at statistics, so make use of that!”  
  
There was general whispering in the group of students. A professor from Arlathan accompanying them on their field trip? What was he doing so far away from the prestigious university?  
  
Aena, on the other hand, wasn’t excited at all by the news. Instead, she was starting to feel sick.  
  
Four years ago, Arlathan had been her first choice of university and she had been rejected. It had been a hard summer for her – dealing with the fact her dream university didn’t want her. Since her marks had always been excellent, she had begun to wonder her rejection was linked to the fact she was Dalish. She had even asked herself if she would have been accepted had she photoshopped her vallaslin out of her profile picture…  
  
Of course, she had made her peace with it since then, and her years at the Denerim University had been the happiest of her life. She’d had interesting lessons, good professors, and she had made good friends. Still, she would have liked not to have a living reminder of her failure standing next to her.  
  
Her mind went out of focus again and suddenly, all she could see were bugs crawling on the floor in front of her - reminding her she was **Dalish** , _Dalish_ , Dalish…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kind of a crack fic (i had the idea yesterday before falling asleep). it will be fun and i hope you'll like it!


	2. Bunnies

The next day, Aena woke up at 7 a.m. – which was admittedly quite difficult after the long trip they had the previous day.  
  
A train from Denerim to Gwaren and then a bus from the train station to the Brecilian Passage. It had truly been exhausting to spend all those hours surrounded by excited conversations, joyous cries and most of all by lovely, _loud_ Sera.  
  
Still, she was luckier than the students who had to go fetch food from the nearby village. Among them, several of the students sleeping in her room – so she had the _pleasure_ of closing her eyes when their alarm had resonated. Being authorized to fall asleep again as the others were exchanging muffled curses was pure bliss.  
  
When her own alarm went on an hour later, Sera had already disappeared – probably to eat as much as she could. Aena got up, put her clothes on – hiking pants and shoes and her favorite bunny pull-over complete with ears on the hood – and went downstairs.  
  
Luckily, there was still food left. She took two slices of bread as well as cherry jam. Dalish loved jam.  
  
She managed to avoid the honey Sera had spilled everywhere and sat down next to Merril.  
  
“Hey Aena! How are you doing?” gently asked the other Dalish, who had some jam at the corner of her mouth.  
  
Dalish loved jam.  
  
“I’m alright and you? Slept well?”  
  
“Yes! It was a little cold in our room, but then Isa got up and came…”  
  
Aena flushed.  
  
“Alright, _alright_ , you slept well, I get it.”  
  
With Merrill and Isa, you never knew where the stories were going to end – or how. During the exchange, Sera had approached them. She bent down and suddenly started singing in Aena’s ear, startling her. She almost let her bread fall.  
  
“ _Bees, bees, bees, do the Dalish eat bees?”_  
  
Aena looked over her shoulder with dagger eyes.  
  
“Are you ever going to let go of that?”  
  
“ _Prrrrrt_! No! It’s too disgusting a story!”  
  
“That’s what I thought” she sighed while chewing her bread.  
  
“We _don’t_ eat bees, Sera!” helpfully explained Merrill. Isabela snorted and nuzzled Merrill’s neck, amused by her girlfriend’s eagerness to teach.  
  
Sadly, the blond city elf wasn’t listening. She made several crude noises and went to the kitchen to wash some dishes. Aena was almost sure she would manage to do her job without breaking too many plates. It also reminded her she’d have to talk to the people responsible for buying groceries, since she was one of the cooks.  
  
“I’m glad you’re putting that pull-over again, sweetie.” said Isabela’s voice in her ear after kissing her on the cheek.  
  
“Thank you, Isa.”  
  
As the human turned back to Merrill, Aena looked around the room full of half-awaken students. There were a lot of people she did not know, but some familiar faces too.  
  
Twins Bethany and Carver were speaking to their elder sister, an ancient uni graduate who was now a monitor. She could also see Alistair feeding his dog with leftovers. Aena had to admit she was afraid of the big Mabari. She was so small herself and didn’t quite know what to make of a dog who was jumping everywhere, finding it a little bit too overwhelming. But she knew Carver would protect her from the dog’s enthusiasm. As on cue, Carver’s gaze crossed hers. Half-bored, half-amused, he rolled her eyes at Marian Hawke and Aena giggled. Carver and Marian’s relationship had always been weird – sometimes good, sometimes bad. She didn’t know Marian well, but had spent a lot of time with the twins and liked them both very much.  
  
Her eyes kept following their path around the room, and that’s when they fell on the mirror right in front of her.  
  
The sun outside was creating a halo around her head and was highlighting the soft blue of Andruil’s _vallaslin_ on her face. She wore the white, round earrings she had never taken off since her mother’s death. To her eyes, her long ears and big eyes still made her look like a frightened rabbit. In an automated defense gesture, she put the bunny-eared hood over her head, creating a barrier between her and the mirror as a voice resonated in her head. _‘Let people stare, let people think you’re a rabbit and then become the hawk and fly free.’_  
  
Eyes still in the shadows, she felt Isabela’s hand run up and down her back. Aena didn’t need to make a sound or tell her what was going through her head. Isabela always felt when she was down and always knew exactly what she needed. Aena was trying to keep darker thoughts away when she heard a brutal **_THUD_**. Startled, she lifted her head, hood still on.  
  
Solas Harel had sat down right in front of her.  
  
Or at least it was Solas Harel’s _body_ , because to be honest she wasn’t sure his _mind_ was there. His eyes were half closed and he was squinting at his bowl of cereals, his glasses nowhere to be seen. He started eating absent-mindedly, the spoon only managing to enter his mouth thanks to sheer luck.  
  
The sight of the half-zombie half-elf in front of her was already funny in itself, but what ended her was his clothes.  
  
He was wearing light blue pajamas adorned with green cartoon wolves.  
  
Isabela had followed Aena’s gaze and started to laugh openly but Solas didn’t seem to hear, or care. He kept eating.  
  
Aena put her elbows on the table and her chin on her hands, observing him closely. His nose was scrunched up a bit but it had a lovely shape. She could see he had freckles and also a scar above an eyebrow. He was broad of shoulders for an elf, she realized, and one flap of his collar was stuck up against his neck. She had to refrain from reaching out and smoothing it down with her hand.  
  
Minute by minute, she saw conscience coming back in his eyes.  
  
When he was fully awake, he stopped eating and put both palms on the wood table. He was looking at her with a totally neutral expression. And when he talked, his tone was totally neutral too, as if he wasn’t quite believing what he had in front of him.  
  
“Are you really wearing a bunny hood?”  
  
“… asks the man with wolves pajamas.” she giggled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm having fun, guys  
> thank you so much for the nice comments and kudos <333


	3. Cows

Two hours ago, the sun was shining.  
  
Now, the rain was pouring.  
  
Aena’s group first assignment had been the animal behavior experiment. Their professor had led them to a nearby meadow where a herd of cows was pasturing. Each student had to choose one, give it a name, sketch it down (to be able to recognize it the next day, of course) and follow its every move. They had to write down every single thing the cow was doing and at which time she was doing it – and for how long.  
  
It could have been a fun, lazy day had Aena’s cow – Meredith – not decided to spend all her time at the other side of the meadow. Even worse, she didn’t have a direct view on Meredith anymore and had to clear a path through thorns to keep her in sight.  
  
She was thus alone in the rain, watching over the only asocial cow of the herd. She had an umbrella, but she was still feeling miserable.  
  
After one hour, she was tempted to give up on Meredith and choose a new cow, but it would mean they would lack data and she didn’t want to be that person. That wasn’t how science worked.  
  
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw another cow slowly approaching – probably Meredith’s pal. She hoped it was one of the chosen cows, which would mean she’d have human company soon. Meredith wasn’t exactly talkative.  
  
As she was writing down that at 9:30 p.m., Meredith had settled down to ruminate, she heard a voice cursing nearby. Someone, finally!  
  
“Your cow is here, I’ve already cleared a path!”  
  
There was silence, and then footsteps again.  
  
“Are you here alone?”  
  
Startled, Aena turned towards the voice to face a completely soaked up Solas. He had a raincoat on, but it didn’t look very impervious and his umbrella was hanging at his side, useless, probably broken by a gust of wind.  
  
“Yes, I’m afraid Meredith doesn’t like the others.”  
  
He raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
“ _Meredith_?”  
  
“Your cow must have a name.”  
  
“Oh.”  
  
He looked down towards the meadow where his cow had now settled down next to hers. He was frowning slightly, rain dripping down his hood and on his face. Shyly, she raised the hand holding her umbrella.  
  
“You can come under here you know.”  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
There was an awkward fumble as Solas tried to fit with her under the umbrella. But she was small so she ended up giving him the handle instead. During the exchange, their hands touched and she felt he was freezing. At least she had mittens on. Poor guy.  
  
“Cow.” He said suddenly.  
  
“Yes, those are _cows_.” she said slowly, unsure of what was happening.  
  
He chuckled.  
  
“I meant her name his Cow.” he gestured towards the pasture.  
  
“Oh that is _cruel_. That’s now even a real name. The others will laugh at her.”  
  
Then silence fell on them again, only broken by the sounds of the dripping rain around them. It wasn’t an uneasy silence – just the kind of silence that exists between two people sharing the same hardships. But to her at least, his arrival was a good thing. They were sharing body heat and she wasn’t alone anymore. Was it okay if she started talking to him? Ask him questions? In the end, he was the one who spoke first.  
  
“What is your name?” he finally asked.  
  
“Aena. Aena Lavellan, Professor.”  
  
He sighed, still looking at the meadow. Standing next to each other under a small umbrella didn’t really allow you to look straight at each other.  
  
“Just call me Solas, please. We are on a field trip, not at university.”  
  
“Alright. Solas.”  
  
Meredith still wasn’t moving. She suspected that cow had the calmer life ever recorded in bovines. And she had chosen that one, of course.  
  
Still… It came with some side benefits. She flushed slightly at the thought, but she had to admit to herself it _was_ true. Now that she was really seeing him up close (being small finally proved having its advantages), she could truly appreciate the view.  
  
He had large shoulders, she had already seen that. Here, it meant they had to stand against each other to avoid getting wet. He seemed to have strong arms, narrow hips. Cute freckles on his nose. Oh, and on his neck too. And he _radiated_ heat.  
  
She also thought he smelled quite good.  
  
Suddenly she was a little uneasy, having those thoughts. He was a teacher, dammit, and even if she was 25… No. It was inappropriate. Slightly perturbed, her long ears twitched. He felt the movement and looked down at her quizzically, his face suddenly very, very close.  
  
Her cheeks were all red. Quick, find something.  
  
“Why… why are you following a cow too?” she stammered. “Aren’t you a teacher?”  
  
His eyes weren’t leaving hers now and her mouth opened slightly. Stormy grey, she decided.  
  
“You will have to make reports about these experiments, so I thought giving students some… additional data.”  
  
“Additional people are always appreciated.” She paused, realizing what she had just said. “DATA! Additional _data_! Oh, Creators…”  
  
She hid her face behind her notepad. Her ears too were all red now. They were burning. How likely was it that he would leave now, allowing her some privacy? He could even take her umbrella with him and let her standing in the rain, she didn’t care.  
  
She peered at him prudently from her lame hiding spot. He was still there. Of course he was still there. However, she was surprised to see he was blushing _too_. Oh. At least that meant he wasn’t angry, right?  
  
“Don’t say anything.” she said pitifully.  
  
“Are you sure?”  
  
“Yes?”  
  
He smiled softly, cheeks still pink.  
  
“Is that a question?”  
  
“I don’t know?”  
  
He chuckled. And snorted. Which was strangely kind of... _hot_? Why was he affecting her so much? _He is a_ teacher _. He is a TEACHER, Aena._  
  
“You are an interesting woman.”  
  
She flushed even more if that was possible. He thought she was interesting – not weird and awkward? Maybe he liked weird and awkward.  
  
She was trying to find something to answer when he spoke again, this time more alarmingly.  
  
“Meredith is gone.”  
  
“What! Where…”  
  
But Meredith was still at the exact same spot, ruminating.  
  
“ _You…!_ ” she exclaimed herself, playfully hitting him on the shoulder. They both chuckled this time.  
  
She hoped Meredith and Cow would stay together all day.  
  
  
                                                                                       ***  
  
Around noon, Sera came to bring Aena a sandwich. When she saw her friend standing close to someone else under her umbrella, she whistled loudly.  
  
“Hey, lovebirds! You know it has stopped raining, yeah?”  
  
Solas lowered the umbrella, sending drops of water all over the surrounding vegetation.  
  
“Shit! Teacher!” muttered the blonde elf, blinking as she stepped towards them.  
  
“Is that a sandwich for me, Sera?” Aena asked very quickly.  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Sera was eyeing Solas menacingly while Aena was trying to make her understand everything was alright, with desperate eyes. She knew her friend meant well but she didn’t want Sera to be rude to him.  
  
“Aena, can I ask you to watch Cow for me while I go fetch some food myself?”  
  
“Of course, Solas.”  
  
Smiling, he handed her his notepad.  
  
He wasn’t even out of sight when Sera took her by the shoulder, looking her straight in the eyes.  
  
“What was he doing here?”  
  
“Nothing, Sera, his cow just happened to come here and I had an umbrella.”  
  
Okay, that was a sentence she never thought she’d say.  
  
“And he calls you _Aena_? And you call him _Solas_?”  
  
Aena blushed and closed her eyes, mortified.  
  
“He’s so _hot_.” she confessed.  
  
“You?” laughed Sera. “You? _Hot for teacher_ , really? I expect those things from ‘Bela, but…”  
  
“Don’t say it like that! It’s not like something is going to happen anyway!”  
  
“But you would like if something happened?”  
  
She couldn’t say if Sera’s question was serious or not, and she didn’t want to open her eyes to find out. Instead, she tried to end the conversation as quickly as possible.  
  
“No?”  
  
“If you’re answering by a question, it means you’re _lying_ , you know that I know that, yeah?”  
  
“Leave me alone, Sera!”  
  
“Ha! _Aena wants to bone a teacher!_ ”  
  
This time her eyes flew open.  
  
“Creators, Sera! Don’t say that! He could _hear_ you!”  
  
“Hear what?”  
  
Solas was back.  
  
Aena saw it. Aena saw Sera’s mouth starting to open and she _knew_ what was going to happen if she let her talk. She _knew_ her friend. So she did the only thing she could do to prevent it: she all but jumped forward and covered Sera’s mouth with her hand. Sera frowned and then nodded. She had understood, so she released her.  
  
“Hum. Nothing?” she answered while nervously turning the handle of the umbrella in her hand. She had the sandwich and the two notepads in the others and she briefly remembered she was supposed to watch over Meredith and Cow. Guiltily, she sneaked a peak. Okay. They had not moved.  
  
“Well, time to go back to Lady Beats!”  
  
Sera winked at her and made fingers gun at her before disappearing in the bushes, not even bothering to take the path Aena had cleared up in the morning. And now she was alone with Solas again. Except it was a little awkward this time. Or maybe that was only in her head?  
  
She gave him his notepad back without looking at him and pretended focusing on Meredith while eating her sandwich. Halla cheese. How had Sera found it, she didn’t even know. But she appreciated the gesture.  
  
She couldn’t resist and looked out of the corner of her eyes. He was standing next to her, although now at a greater distance since it wasn’t raining anymore. He was eating a sandwich too, eyes lost in the horizon. She wondered what he was thinking.  
  
“Aren’t you cold now that we're not near each other anymore?”  
  
What. Had. Her. Brain. Done.  
  
“Are you suggesting something, Miss Lavellan?”  
  
Was he… grinning?  
  
With her ears down and eyes widened in fear, she was probably looking a lot like a rabbit the wolf had just found on its path. She audibly swallowed.  
  
“No?”  
  
_‘You’re not a rabbit, Aena.’_  
  
“Yes.”  
  
_‘You are a hawk._ ’  
  
His demeanor changed immediately. From wolf, he turned into prey. She couldn’t back down, so she kept looking straight at him, forcing her chin up. He was looking at her face, going from one eye to the other, his mouth slightly open. The tips of his ears were pink.  
  
“I… My cow is moving.” he said suddenly, and it took some time for her brain to register what he had said. He was already gone by then.  
  
_Fuck._ What had she done?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i bet you had never read a "we are biologists on a field experiment and my cow and your cow are pals so we're kinda stuck together" AU. if you already had, then i apologize.  
> thank you for the comments <33333 i'm glad you like aena!


	4. Lentils

Aena liked cooking.  
  
She used to cook a lot at home and when she came to the capital, she had quickly become _The Cook™_ for Merrill, Sera and Isabela and the others. Sometimes Sera helped her with pastry, but food was essentially Aena’s responsibility.  
  
She knew what being _truly hungry_ meant. Therefore she loved to dedicate her time to offer good food to others. She cooked for her friends, she helped at the Denerim Alienage soup kitchen. She could give people some love, focus on the task at hand and forget the rest.  
  
This evening, however, focusing proved difficult.  
  
She had been behind the oven since the end of the afternoon, entrusting Meredith the cow with Sera. She had crossed Solas’ path on her way back to the station but he had stubbornly kept his gaze on his notepad, pretending she didn’t exist. Her mind had started racing… Could he somehow _report_ her? Would there be consequences to her recklessness?  
  
And since when was she _that stupid_? Hitting on a teacher, really…  
  
She sighed and checked the oven again. Everything looked good and she hoped the students would love their first warm meal of the trip. Carver’s head suddenly popped at the kitchen door.  
  
“We are getting hungry. Almost ready?”  
  
“Yep.” Bethany cheerily answered, stirring the soup. “You can start setting the tables, Carver!”  
  
“Eeeh! I already went to buy groceries and…”  
  
“Pretty please?” Merrill chirped, looking at the boy with her big, innocent eyes. Carver could never resist Merrill and Aena didn’t know if she was _entirely_ oblivious to the effect she had on him. With Merrill, you didn’t always know - especially since she started dating Isabela.  
  
Carver flushed, nodded and disappeared. She heard an indignant cry meaning he had probably grabbed a (truly) innocent Alistair on his way back to the dining hall. She chuckled and put the kitchen mittens on, opening the oven and carefully withdrawing the first dish of lasagna.  
  
It looked perfect. _Good_.  
  
“Hot soup and your infamous lasagna.” Bethany remarked. “What more could they ask for?”  
  
“I hope it will be to everyone’s taste!”  
  
“Of course, silly! _Wait_! _Jowan_! Let me handle the pot, okay?”  
  
Bethany fled to prevent a catastrophe. Jowan was nice, sometimes a little weird (but who was not at university?) and _decidedly clumsy_. Clumsy wasn’t even the right term if she was being honest – a whole new word would have to be invented for him.  
  
“Alright, hot lasagna incoming!” she announced, following Bethany to the dining hall.  
  
As they stepped in the room, all the heads turned in their direction. Hungry students were hungry. Aena set the dish on the first table and went back to the kitchen to fetch the rest. It was a dance she knew, giving food to the hungry, calming the ones who still had to wait a little. She was chirping happily, everyone giving her praise and smiling at her. Cooks were loved by students, especially after a whole day on the field. She was really hungry herself but she would eat later – she was still needed in the kitchen for dessert.  
  
She of course purposely avoided the table where the professors were waiting. No need to cause further embarrassment or give Solas the occasion to point out her inappropriate behavior. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Bethany bring them their meal. Good. That was one thing she didn’t have to worry about. Rounding her shoulders as she passed by their table, she headed to the kitchen. Pie baking time!  
  
“Have you noticed? That new teacher is not eating his lasagna.” Merrill mentioned some time later, when everyone was served. She wiped her forehead and added flour on it in the process. “He’s just looking at it and he seems _sad_.”  
  
Aena raised her ears. He was sad? Why was he sad? Wasn’t her lasagna good? Had she made a mistake?  
  
“There’s a… problem with the lasagna?” she asked casually.  
  
“Not at all, Harding is eating her part. She told me it was really good.” Bethany frowned. “It’s not you, Aena, don’t worry about it.”  
  
But maybe it _was_ her?  
  
She felt her cheek redden as she remembered what had happened earlier. She dropped her head focusing on the lemon pie, hoping no one would notice her unease. He didn’t seem upset in the morning. On the contrary, he was quite happy until she…  
  
“Merrill, could you replace me for a minute?” she asked, wiping her hands on her apron.  
  
“Of course!”  
  
Gathering up her courage, she stepped into the dining hall. Solas had not even _touched_ his lasagna. He was indeed just looking at it, a useless fork in his hand. He had to be as hungry as them all, no? What was the problem then?  
  
Stopping in front of him, she cleared her throat. He lifted his head, eyes getting slightly bigger when he saw it was her. Okay, maybe she had imagined it.  
  
“Is… is there something wrong, professor? I was told you weren’t eating…”  
  
“Your lasagna is excellent.” Harding interjected. “It’s just that Solas…”  
  
He seemed extremely embarrassed now.  
  
“I am vegetarian.”  
  
“Oh.”  
  
She felt sorry a fraction of second then she put her hands on her hips, suddenly angry.  
  
“You should have told m… _us_! I… _we_ would have done something for you and this lasagna would not have been wasted!”  
  
Solas looked at her with his ears low, plainly shocked. At least Harding was laughing at his kicked puppy expression, so she hadn’t crossed the line, had she? She didn’t let him time to answer. She took his plate and walked back towards the kitchen. Jut before reaching the door, she changed her mind and put it on Alistair and Carver’s table. There, at least it wouldn’t be wasted. Even if the boys weren’t hungry anymore (which she highly doubted), there was still the Mabari. She cried internally at the thought of her food being eaten by the large, scary dog.  
  
The pie was almost ready when she came back, she only had to wait and then dessert would be served. She sat on a chair, her chin in her hand. Slowly, her anger deflated. She had yelled at him. She _did_ hate it when people were wasting food, but maybe she should have been nicer? It was the second time in one day that she upset him. He had arrived for a field trip and a student had flirted with him. No wonder he was nervous.  
  
She had to do something. It would be her apology to him, so they were even?  
  
She rolled up her sleeves.  
  
  
***  
  
Everyone was eating pie except for Solas. It was cruel, but Aena had ordered the others not to give him a piece for the moment – she would bring it to him herself. Approaching the professors table again, she giggled. Solas was looking absolutely confused and was eyeing Harding’s pie with unconcealed envy. He had a priceless _“why didn’t_ I _get pie?”_ childish expression on.  
  
“I am sorry for yelling at you.” she apologized, setting down a new plate in front of him.  
  
He stopped looking at Harding’s pie and examined his food instead. She was nervous, not knowing how he would take it. She giggled again when she saw him frown and squint at the food. What did he have against glasses?  
  
“Hot food. Vegetarian. _Lentils.”_ she clarified, pointing to the food.  
  
As he still wasn’t saying anything, she continued.  
  
“Now if you tell me you don’t like lentils, I _may just_ pour them over your head in front of everybody.”  
  
“No, no, _I like lentils_ ” he said quickly. “I just…”  
  
He tilted his head.  
  
“Why did you do this?”  
  
“Because you were likely hungry and hot food is nice after a long day?”  
  
He said nothing and then smiled and she felt her stomach do a somersault. She didn’t do it to _please_ him but because it was the right thing to do. Still, she was pleased he was pleased. If that made any sense.  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
She smiled, cheeks hot again. Time to retreat! Time to retreat! She fled.  
  
“Were you asking him if he wants to eat _you_ instead of lasagna?” Sera cackled as she passed by her table. At her side, Isabela raised an interested eyebrow.  
  
“Shut _up_ , Sera!”  
  
Aena stepped into the safe haven of the kitchen. Her job was _done,_ time to eat.  
  
She took her plate from the oven and decided to have her meal in the kitchen so there would no further embarrassment. In retrospect, it was a bad decision because not ten minutes later, Sera and Isabela came in to do the dishes. She fled again, taking her plate with her - as well as the last slice of pie.  
  
The dining hall was now almost empty, except for Harding and a few students. As it was the first evening, she supposed no one would be working - they would worry about that later, like the good students they were. Aena would have liked to do the same with her friends but it meant prying questions and comments and she was not ready for it. She wasn’t sure what was happening and she didn’t want to discuss it except with the little voice inside her head.  
  
When her plate was finished, she decided to do her dishes later so she would not run into the others. In the meantime, she took her computer out of its bag and started to enter the data they had gathered today. She chuckled when she read some of the names. Sera’s cow was _Lady Beats_ , Carver had named his _Bethany_ and Bethany had named hers _Carver_. Typical.  
  
“Are you actually _working_?”  
  
She froze on her seat.     
  
“It takes a truly indomitable focus to work, cook and work again in the evening. Especially when the others are out partying.” Solas continued calmly.  
  
She looked up at him from behind her screen, blushing. Was he flirting? She wasn’t sure anymore. Living with Sera and Isabela tended to do that to you.  
  
“I… I’m always the one centralizing data, so… I prefer to do it as soon as possible.”  
  
“A wise course of action. I guess that means you need my notes?” he continued, handing her a piece of paper.  
  
She stopped typing, pointing to the slice of pie.  
  
“Alright, I’m taking the data if you take the pie.”  
  
She saw his ears twitch in an uncontrolled gesture. He really liked pie apparently.  
  
“If the pie is as good as the rest of the meal, then I am sure I will enjoy it immensely.”  
  
She smiled at him again and then there was a silence. They were now alone in the dining hall. The only sounds she could hear came from the kitchens and from her beating heart. At least the others were having fun with the dishes. She dared not imagine the current state of the room.  
  
Aena crossed her hands in front of her and inhaled sharply. Better to dive in now. She felt like Isabela’s and Sera’s spirits were with her.  
  
“About earlier…” she started. “About earlier _and_ just now…”  
  
Solas’ smile almost entirely disappeared. She could understand why, of course, but he had to be honest with her. And consistent.  
  
“I… am I imagining the flirting? I mean… I know what _I_ am saying but… Just be honest okay?”  
  
She put her face in her hands, cheeks burning. When would this stop. She heard him sit in the chair in front of her.    
  
“I…” he hesitated. “What I think is irrelevant. You are a student.”  
  
Still not looking at him, she mumbled.  
  
“I’m 25…”  
  
“That is… true.” He considered. “But I am still way older than you. And also your professor.”  
  
She looked at him through her open fingers.  
  
“Technically you’re not my professor. You’re not even from my university.” she pointed out.  
  
He opened his mouth then snapped it shut.  
  
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up. I just… I felt something and thought… I’m _sorry._ ”  
  
She closed her laptop and grabbed her bag. She had to get out of there as quickly as possible. Even the kitchen was better than this!  
  
“Wait.”  
  
She paused, ears low – frightened. He was going to report her wasn’t he?  
  
“If I am being honest like you asked me to be.” he began slowly. “I really _do_ find you interesting. And even if I should not say this… I would like to know you better. May I ask for some time to consider it?”  
  
“Of course. T… thank you for your honesty.”  
  
That was a lame answer, she knew it. But she couldn’t do better. It was thrilling and it was weird. She found him interesting, he found _her_ interesting. He was the professor, she was the _student_.  
  
Creators, her life had been so simple not even two days ago

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it me again! i was wondering if this was getting too fast, but solavellan is never going too fast, right????  
> again, thank you for the comments and kudos, i am seriously SO glad you like this fic! i'm feeling comfortable with it, so would it interest you if i were taking prompts? just an idea <3  
> come and speak to me <3 http://feyriane.tumblr.com


	5. Spiders

“We are going to get _fucking lost_!”  
  
They had been walking for thirty minutes now. From the station they had followed the old rusty tracks straight into the forest, following the zoology teacher. Aena had no trouble keeping pace with her but Sera was dragging behind.  
  
“Walk faster then!”  
  
Hands on her backpack straps, Aena was both happy and annoyed. Rays of sun were glittering through the canopy, giving the forest an enchanted look. It was not too warm, not too cold and they had finally said goodbye to the cows. Her heart also felt different – lighter, beating faster. She still could not quite believe the conversation she had with Solas… but at the same time, she was hoping he would take a decision quickly.  
  
Yes, it would have been a beautiful day, had Sera not been complaining constantly.  
  
“How far are we gonna walk for this stupid experiment?”  
  
“You asked to come, Sera!” she snapped. “Be a little serious, would you? Now keep up, we are losing the others!”  
  
Sera whistled.  
  
“ _Someone_ is showing her teeth! How was your convo with Solas yesterday? Or did you think _we_ didn’t notice you two having a chat?”  
  
She was lucky Sera could not see her face right now. Then what her friend had said hit her and she stopped dead on her tracks.  
  
“Wait. What do you mean, ‘ _we_ ’?”  
  
Sera went past her and bragged, counting on her fingers.  
  
“I might have told Isa. And Merrill. _And_ Zevran.”  
  
Aena’s jaw opened and she sputtered, panicked. She was so going to get expelled! She knew it was an irrational thought but she couldn’t help it. She had never crossed any line and especially not at school or university!  
  
“N…no! Why did you..? And who _is_ Zevran?!”  
  
“Oh, a friend of Isa’s. ‘Haven’t met him yet?”  
  
She sprinted up the hill to reach Sera and finally discovered the other students gathered around the zoology teacher, who was distributing printed sheets around. Taking one for her and Sera, Aena whispered.  
  
“He’s not on the lists! Is he even a student?”  
  
Sera shrugged, a thoughtful expression on her features.  
  
“You know, I’m not _sure._ ”  
  
“This is all very reassuring.”  
  
“Don’t change the subject, elfy! So you spoke, yeah?”  
  
She blushed furiously. Better to admit than having Sera talk about it in front of everyone.  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“ _And_?”  
  
“I… in…insisted. And he said he was going to… consider it.”  
  
“CONGRATS, SISTER!”  
  
One look of the zoology teacher’s golden eyes was enough to make them forget about professors and students – and focus on biology once again. She had that effect.  
  
  
                                                                                    ***  
  
“And so we put these _things_ filled with soap _in_ the ground and tomorrow we’ll go see which beasties have fallen into them during the night!” Sera explained with wide gestures, though carefully enough not to spill her beer.  
  
It was the end of the afternoon and the little group was sitting – or laying – on the only couch of the dining hall. Aena was resting her head in the blond elf’s lap, waiting for Carver and the others to return with some groceries – and for Bethany and Jowan to appear so they could begin cooking. Usually she wouldn’t have minded beginning alone but today she had a lot on her mind and appreciated the respite. She wasn’t really listening to the others.  
  
“Oooh, that is _so_ interesting!” Merrill babbled. She was drinking orange juice through a straw she was sharing with Isabela. It was the longest straw Aena had ever seen, and if she was to believe Merrill’s face each time she drank, there wasn’t _only_ orange juice in it. “But it’s sad these animals will die though. The ones we captured today were still alive! We went to the river – and that dragonfly larva _crawled_ on my hand! It was disgusting and awesome!”  
  
“Dalish…” Sera snorted in her beer. _“Shit!”  
_  
The door next to the couch had opened and they all hid their beers way, Sera helping Aena with hers. Luckily, the person who entered wasn’t a teacher. Technically.  
  
“Heyyy Aena!”  
  
She didn’t get up and just waved at her, knowing Marian wouldn’t mind. The tall brunette was supposed to be their monitor and oversee their activities, but she was also Carver and Bethany’s older sister and Isabela’s friend. Aena didn’t know her well, but Marian had heard of her from her siblings and seemed to like her. Beers and other drinks came out of hiding.  
  
“Hello, Marian! Doing well?”  
  
“Yep! Seen my siblings maybe?” she asked, taking the orange-juice- _and-extra_ from Isabela’s hand.  
  
“Nope, we are waiting for them actually.”  
  
“Wait no more, ladies! Your knights in shining armors have returned!”  
  
Carver and Alistair had crossed the threshold, several plastic bags in hand. Alistair’s mabari was jumping at his side as usual and Aena sat up immediately. No way was she letting her face at dog level!  
  
“What did you bring?” she asked, still cautiously looking at the mabari. The big dog was wagging his tail like crazy and Alistair had to prevent him from putting his head in the bags. And eat everything, she guessed.  
  
“Pasta. Vegetables. Lentils. Eggs. Bacon.” Carver continued dreamily. “ _Bacon_.”  
  
“Does that mean we have carbonara?” Merrill clapped her hands together.  
  
“I guess so. With lots of bacon, eh, Carver? Let’s go, team!”  
  
  
                                                                                ***  
  
Tonight, he was sitting alone at a table, reading a book.  
  
She approached his table as casually as she could. She hadn’t served him first - it would have been weird. But she wasn’t going to serve him last either - it would have been weird. Okay, maybe she was getting a little paranoid.  
  
Hearing her approach, he raised his head at her. Squinting.  
  
“Do you even see something without your glasses?” she asked gently. She wasn’t mocking him, she was just… really wondering what was the deal here. She hoped he could tell the difference.  
  
“I lost them again.” he stated.  
  
“They’re on your head.” she giggled, pointing at them.  
  
“Oh.”  
  
He retrieved them and put them back on his nose, setting his book aside. Even when he wasn’t squinting, he had small eyes. It made him look sleepy.  
  
“There you go, professor.” she smiled, putting a plate in front of him. Shake yourself, Aena. Don’t stare at him like that. “Special vegetarian pasta salad!”  
  
“You are too kind to indulge me, Miss Lavellan.”  
  
“You are too hot.”  
  
He raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
“Watch out! THE _PLATE_ IS HOT! Oh, Creators!”  
  
She leaned towards him.  
  
“I should be forbidden to speak.” she confessed in a whisper, then ran away.  
  
That night, she dreamt of him.  
  
  
                                                                                   ***  
**  
** “A rare find!” complimented the zoology teacher the next day.  
  
She was examining the vial Aena had brought to her and was pointing her finger at a particularly large spider. It was covered in dark fur, its abdomen displaying a twirling violet pattern she would have to examine on the microscope later. Alive, it must have looked beautiful and deadly. Now, it was kind of sad to see it with its legs closed around itself, as if trying to protect itself from the deadly trap it had fallen into.  
  
“You will identify its species in priority.” Professor Dosov continued, eyes still fixated on the spider. Aena suddenly noticed her eyeshadow was the same violet as the spider’s abdominal pattern.  
  
“Of course, professor Dosov. Do you…” Aena hesitated and the professor smiled at her gently, waiting for her to continue. She had always have a good relationship with her - even though she had been terrified at first, after hearing how older students talked about her. “Do you think it could be a spider of the Wilds – a _Flemeth flemethii_ perhaps? It looks like one…”

Professor Dosov smiled enigmatically.  
  
“It may be so. Only work will tell. Now, gather your other samples and go back to the lab. Professor Harel will be here to help you with the identification should you need to.”  
  
  
                                                                            ***  
  
  
She had been busy all afternoon.  
  
Busy identifying the numerous animals that had fallen in their traps. As usual, she had been the only one in her team willing to spend hours with her eyes on the microscope. The others had left her hours ago, saying they were starting the cow field report. She could only hope that’s what they were _actually_ doing. And not drinking with Hawke or something. Or worse.  
  
Species identification wasn’t the most _exciting_ task so she couldn’t really blame them. At least she was good at it. She had a good analytical mind and a solid basis of knowledge (one of the perks of being Dalish, ha!) – as well as books to help her. She had avoided asking Solas for help because… Because she did not want to cause an awkward situation? Because she did not want to risk losing her composure in front of the other students? Because she was afraid he would tell her no?  
  
Maybe all of that.  
  
Aena raised her head from the microscope and pinched the bridge of her nose. The conservation alcohol vapors were giving her headaches after all those hours. Ugh. She needed a break. And some fresh air too.  
  
Looking around, she suddenly noticed she was the only student left. She had not heard or seen the others leaving. That meant… Yep. She was alone in the lab with Solas now. Discretely, she looked at him from behind the microscope. He was busy reading and taking notes, his glasses on his nose for once. Did he only put them when he was alone – or almost alone in this case? He was wearing a button down white shirt and his sleeves were pulled back, a fact she found… distracting. His cheeks were red – probably due to the heavy heat in the room. She really wanted to walk to his desk and open the first buttons of his shirt. She was a helper that way.  
  
Wait. What was she _doing_ , lusting after a man who was her teacher? A man who had asked her time to consider things? She felt bad. Bad student! No. Oh no. Don’t go there, Aena.  
  
Trying her best not to disturb him, she went to the nearest window and opened it, welcoming the gust of fresh air on her face. She breathed slowly, taking in the view in front of her. The lab was in a separated building, near the wilds. From there, she had direct sight on the old rusted tracks, the Brecilian forest and its small hills, and on the setting sun. It had been a busy day, and today she didn’t have to cook so she would be able to enjoy some down time once she had finished with the identification. Only a few left!  
  
“I… ah?”  
  
She jumped, startled. Solas finally had his nose out of his book and was looking around him, an adorable expression on his face, his glasses once again raised on his forehead.  
  
“Where… where are the other students?” he asked, dumbfounded.  
  
She giggled, sitting on the windowsill.  
  
“I think they left some time ago already. I hadn’t noticed either.”  
  
He seemed completely lost, blinking.  
  
“What time is it?”  
  
“Only 5 p.m. Don’t worry.”  
  
Sitting back on his chair, he washed his glasses with his shirt.  
  
“Students were way more dedicated in my time.” he grumbled, putting the glasses on the book he had been reading. Even from her side of the room, Aena could heard him mutter.  
  
Grumpy. Cute. Damn.  
  
She snorted nonetheless.  
  
“ _In my time!_ “, she mimicked an old woman’s voice and Solas blushed, the tip of her ears all pink. He cleared his throat.  
  
“Did you find anything interesting?” he asked, changing the subject quickly. Maybe it was better that way? It was better that way.  
  
“Well, actually, yes! I’ve got a Spider of the Wilds somewhere.” she exclaimed, jumping on the ground again.  
  
“Truly?”  
  
Solas walked to her and she took the right petri dish, putting it under the microscope. She bent down towards the eyepieces, searching for the spider. And she screamed. He caught her by the arm as she was pulling back, almost falling from her chair.  
  
“Aena? What is it?”  
  
“I’m sorry!” she exclaimed, half laughing half crying. “I thought I’d have to search for it, but it was _right there_! It… it startled me!”    
  
“Too many eyes?” he grinned.  
  
He still hadn’t let go of her arm. She could feel the warmth of his fingers through the fabric of her sleeve. Her heart was beating fast. Because of the spider! She hid her face behind her hands.  
  
“You must think I’m so _silly_! I am not afraid of spiders, but I didn’t expect…”  
  
“Don’t worry, I understand.”  
  
There was that damn chuckle again.  
  
Aena raised her face towards him. He seemed to notice their closeness at the same moment she did and the chuckle died in his throat. He swallowed. Their eyes were locked into each other and Solas still Solas wasn’t moving his hand or his face.  
  
“I guess you didn’t have enough time to _consider things_ yet…” she whispered. It was a statement but it was also a question.  
  
“We shouldn’t…” he started weakly.  
  
She kissed him on the cheek.  
  
“I know.”  
  
“We _really_ shouldn’t.”  
  
She kissed him again.  
  
“I _know_.”  
  
“But maybe…”  
  
That was enough for her.  
  
She lifted her head a third time and kissed him on the lips.  
  
Immediately, his hand left her arm to tangle itself in her hair. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Their kiss was slow, tender – barely a touch. Aena could feel her heart pounding in her chest and she was sure Solas could feel it too. Breathless, she pulled away.  
  
“So do you still need time to…” she started, but his lips were now tracing a path down her neck and she moaned loudly. Had she still had a functional brain left, she would have been embarrassed to come undone so easily under his touch.  
  
“No, I don’t think so.” he smiled against her skin.  
  
“I’m…. glad to… hear that.” she whispered feebly as he went up and reached her ear. Her legs were like noodles now – she was lucky she was on a chair because she would have been _unable_ to stand. Cradling the back of his neck, she kissed the line of his oh so perfect jaw. She could feel his warmth, the busy movement of his lips making her squirm.  
  
Why had she thought this was wrong?  
  
He kissed her again, hands now stroking the small of her back. She raised both her arms and started playing with the tips of his ears. This time, _he_ moaned against her lips and she giggled.  
  
“Mm?” he asked as she was hiding her face against his torso. He smelled so good she could stay there for hours, pressed against him with his arms wrapped around her in a protective bubble.  
  
“I made you moan. That was so _sexy_.” she whispered, blushing furiously.  
  
All this was _so_ unlike her. Yet, she couldn’t help it.  
  
As he was stroking her hair softly, she played with the fabric of his shirt.  
  
“I was wondering…”  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“Can you actually see me without your glasses?”  
  
Fingers under her chin, he lifted her head towards him.  
  
“I can see you just fine.” he said, kissing her nose.  
  
“Do you still want to see the spider?”  
  
He chuckled.  
  
“Not really, no.”  
  
“I knew it. You don’t care about spiders.”  
  
“I do care about the one who caught me in her web.”  
  
He kissed her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> drink when solas or aena is blushing  
> drink when aena giggles  
> drink when solas has his glasses on  
> drink when solas is squinting
> 
> no actual spider has been hurt during the writing of this chapter
> 
> personal experience: when a group of biology students have to identify a bunch of creatures swimming in conservation alcohol, there is always one victim who will end up doing all the work while the others are partying. always. (bonus: guess who was the victim in my group ~)
> 
> come talk to me : [MY BLOG](http://feyriane.tumblr.com)
> 
> And go see this adorable drawing of Aena andauril did : [SUPER DRAWING](http://feyriane.tumblr.com/post/144146138243/andauril-aena-lavellan-for-sihaofskyhold-i)


	6. Grapes

So happy.  
  
She was feeling so happy right now.  
  
One, she wasn’t on cooking duties tonight. She loved to cook, okay, but having a free evening was nice too.  
  
Two, the other students had decided it was time to open the wine bottles. Not that they hadn’t drunk the other evenings of course but it was now considered proper to do so in front of the teachers. Hell, they were all of age and had worked hard. Or _she had_ , at least. She deserved a glass or two.  
  
Three, the slight blush appearing on Solas’ cheeks each time their eyes crossed across the dining room was very, very rewarding. Even more rewarding was the fact none of her friends had noticed anything yet. That meant she could enjoy all the tingly feelings in peace.  
  
She took another sip of wine, head feeling lighter and lighter.  She was small and didn’t need a lot of alcohol to feel start feeling tipsy. Sometimes a blessing, sometimes a curse.  
  
“Tomorrow we have a huge experiment apparently.” Merrill assured. “All the students are participating. I wonder what it is.”  
  
“Probably something _boring_.” Sera snorted, putting her feet on the table. Merrill and Aena had tried to stop that bad habit, but Isabela had been backing the blonde elf each time. So they had dropped the case. Still, she didn’t like that behavior.  
  
“Y’know” Aena interjected, frowning lightly. “I really wonder why you decided you needed the extra credits and came here with us, Sera.”  
  
Her friend wasn’t even studying biology after all. Aena was glad she was there, of course, but her attitude regarding science in general and biology in particular was sometimes… grating. Part of her charm, Isabela would say.  
  
The blonde elf shrugged.  
  
“I thought it would be more fun. But you guys are, like, _working_. For real. And there are not as many cute girls as I thought.”  
  
“Aren’t _we_ cute?” Merril piped in, her huge eyes blinking.  
  
“ _Datable_ girls, Mer.”  
  
“I don’t think ‘datable’ is a word.” The little Dalish frowned. “But Aena is ‘datable’, right?”  
  
Sera rolled her eyes.  
  
“She’s my _friend_ , Mer, I don’t wanna date her! Besides she got other plans, right?”  
  
Sera raised an eyebrow at her rhythmically. Aena ignored her superbly.  
  
“Ooh yes. The teacher!” exclaimed Merrill, wrapping her arms around Isabela’s neck. “You would be so cute together _. And forbidden is exciting_!”  
  
“ _Mer!_ ”  
  
She almost dropped her glass on her lap. And she had hoped Merril wouldn’t be on the teasing squad. Disappointing.  
  
“Are you gonna act on it, kitten?” asked Isabela - seriously. She could be teasing sometimes, but knew when to be serious. And Isabela knew that Aena was uncomfortable with this kind of subject. Bless her.  
  
“No.”  
  
There. She _had_ managed to lie convincingly. Wow.  Miracle truly happened.  
  
The conversation resumed, branching out to other subjects. Lucky her.  
  
  
                                                                                  ***  
  
As the others were talking – about everything but biology – Aena’s mind was wandering. She _did_ intend to act on it. But she had no real idea how to… act… when it came to this kind of subject.  
  
Better force herself in the situation and _react_ to it, then, right?  
  
Suddenly feeling bold, she searched for Solas’ gaze and when she caught it, she winked at him. She could see him consider how to answer, nervously checking around him… Finally, he motioned to the door with his head. Okay he wanted to see her outside? Good. And intimidating.  
  
“I’m gonna get some fresh air, guys.” she told her friends, trying her best to be casual. She visibly succeeded because they only acknowledged her without further comments. Good.  
  
Cheeks all warm from the alcohol (and other things), she went outside. Slow, measured step. Don’t rush. Act normal. She stopped as soon as she was out of view of the station. The last thing she wanted was someone seeing her there.  
  
She thought she was calm, but when she heard his voice behind her, a shiver went down her spine. A good shiver. Okay, she was definitely not calm. It seemed like their earlier kiss had… woken her up. She was suddenly… craving affection and she had no real idea of how to ask for it properly.  
  
If this relation was even _proper_ to start with.  
  
If she was going to be honest with herself, she’d say she was still intimidated at the idea of kissing a teacher. And maybe dating him. But she wasn’t going to be honest because that would paralyze her. So she pushed the thought deep into her head. Don’t think about that.  
  
“I thought you were a specialist of _healthy diets_ , Miss Lavellan.”  
  
“It’s fruit.” she offered flatly, showing him her glass. “Grapes.”  
  
He raised an eyebrow.  
  
“Okay, it’s _fermented grape_. Is that bad?”  
  
“It depends on the situation, I suppose.”  
  
“What about inappropriate situations?”  
  
Could her brain at least _ask her_ her opinion before making her spurt out words like that? Maybe she shouldn’t have had wine.  
  
Solas tried to keep himself from smiling but ultimately failed. To hide his grin, he carefully checked around and she did the same out of reflex. Nobody was there so maybe this conversation could lead _somewhere_?  
  
Somewhere interesting, she hoped.  
  
“Do you want to go for a walk?” he asked her.  
  
A walk. Where would they walk. It wouldn’t be a really discreet thing to do.  
  
Her concern must have been evident, because he immediately clarified.  
  
“We can go down a little path I know along the forest. We won’t be seen. But I would really like to discuss some things with you.”  
  
“Yes… I guess… I guess we should discuss.” she smiled shyly, putting some strands of hair back behind an ear in a nervous gesture.  
  
“Shall we go?”  
  
After a last look around, they started walking towards the forest. Soon, they were along the tree border, the not-cold but not-warm wind lifting her hair from her face, revealing her right eye for once. It always made her feel more vulnerable somehow. Better joke about her silly insecurities.  
  
“So, how do I know you’re not the wolf trying to lure the innocent bunny inside the forest?” she teased.  
  
Solas chuckled.  
  
“I promise we won’t go inside the forest.”  
  
She rolled her eyes for the show but was still amused.  
  
“Bunny here is very reassured.”  
  
“Why do you think of yourself as a bunny?” He asked after a pause. “I had already noticed the hoodie.”  
  
“And I noticed your pajamas, wolf. But… Well, I guess it’s because of the big eyes… and big ears. And Orlesians… They still call us ‘ _rabbits’_ you know.”  
  
She managed to keep her voice straight. No need to dive into drama. Not now. She inhaled sharply, pushing the bad memories further inside her head. She’d deal with them later. As always.  
  
“I… know. Despite their talks of progress, Orlais has still much to do on that front.” he offered.  
  
She averted her eyes, smoothing a strand of hair over her right eye again. There, that was better.  
  
“Can we… drop this subject?” she whispered. “Please?”  
  
“Of course.”  
  
He put an arm around her shoulder. It made her feel better. They stayed silent for a couple minutes then Solas spoke again, softly. She was surprised to hear him stammer. He did not seem the sort, always speaking with perfect elocution as he was.  
  
“What were your expectations when you… you…”  
  
“Kissed you?” she continued, timidly.  
  
It was the evening but she could still see him blushing. She could definitely get used to that. At least they would be a matching pair.  
  
“To be honest, I don’t quite know. I just like you and would like to know you better and… and see where this could lead.”  
  
Solas lifted his eyes, considering her words. She was starting to worry. Had she… said something wrong? Was he going to pull back and tell her this was all a bad idea?  
  
“Did you… expect something else?” she finally asked, now looking at her feet.  
  
“Maybe. Though I am glad to know this is not just some… _physical thing_.”  
  
She felt herself blush. Hard. Instinctively, she turned away from him, absolutely and utterly embarrassed. She felt his hand gently grab the crook of her elbow and she stopped.  
  
“I did not mean to…”  
  
She turned towards him again and laughed.  
  
“No! It’s okay! It’s just… I get easily flustered.”  
  
“I can get used to that”, he smiled, mirroring her earlier thoughts.  
  
They had stopped walking and were now facing each other. She knew they still had a lot to discuss but his presence was distracting. She could feel his warmth near her and his hand on her arm.  
  
“So, how will this work?” she asked, fidgeting with the fabric of his vest. She could be a responsible adult, right?  
  
“I propose that… we keep this as secret as we can.” he started. “As you said, I am _technically_ not your professor. But we cannot be sure of the reaction others may have.”  
  
“You’re right.” she lifted her eyes to him, crossing his gaze. “I prefer it that way, too.”  
  
Hesitantly at first, she snuggled against him, a cheek on his chest. Then he wrapped his arms around her and she smiled, circling his waist with her own arms and pulling him towards her.  
  
She felt so great in this instant. She laughed again.

“What is it?”  
  
“We’re going to have to _hide_. And _sneak out_ to see each other. And kiss _in the shadows_.”  
  
He kissed the top of her head.  
  
“I am glad you find it so amusing.”  
  
“Kiss me now.” she whispered. Of course he heard her faint plea.  
  
As he bent down his head to capture her lips, she wrapped her hands around his neck, smiling in the kiss. It deepened and deepened, and when he started combing through her hair, she could not resist anymore. Her hands left his neck and idly stroked his hips. She could feel his belly tense.  
  
When she grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it out of his pants, however, he pulled away.  
  
“No”, he whispered. She panicked an instant, but he was smiling. “You had wine.” he explained.  
  
She pouted and protested. “It wasn’t… wasn’t that much!”  
  
“Still, I prefer to take this further when we are both sober.”  
  
“Also… we are in the middle of a forest.” she sighed, defeated.  
  
“And also, we are in the middle of a forest.” he agreed.  
  
She looked over his shoulder.  
  
“Fucking _grapes_.”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you like this chapter :)  
> come talk with me : [MY BLOG](http://feyriane.tumblr.com) <3


	7. Trees

_How many trees are there in the forest?_  
  
That is a question Aena never thought she would have to answer one day.  
  
And yet here she was, walking in line with the other students. They were slowly progressing along the slope as their names were called one by one, and then over again. Each time, they would yell the trees they had identified since the last call.  
  
It was part of some evaluation thing. To see if the forest changed over time. Which it did, of course. Trees die. Trees grow. Lightning strikes. To be honest, she found this all a little dumb. Maybe it was because she preferred zoology over botany.  
  
“AENAAAA!”  
  
Of course Sera had been chosen to call out the names. Who else, really?  
  
“ANSWER, BUNNY GIRL!” came Sera’s voice again.  
  
Rolling her eyes, Aena shouted.  
  
“Two oaks and one birch.”  
  
Birch. _Birch_. What a strange word.  
  
And it kept going. They had to cover the entire forest. It had been divided in different zones so they were sure they would miss a tree. Mid-afternoon, they were finally walking through the last zone.  
  
“ISAAAAAAAAA!”  
  
“I’m dead!” yelled the voice of the Rivaini. By which, Aena assumed, she meant she was now out of the forest zone. Students who were situated higher on the hill were going back to the station one by one, when the decrease in width of the forest meant they were suddenly out of the last sampled zone. Lucky.  Aena still had to wait for some time, she was almost at the foot of the hill.  
  
Sighing, she kept walking. Okay, so. One more oak. And was that… hornbeam? Yes, two hornbeams. And one beech. Damn. Birch, beech. Sometimes she wondered what the biologists were thinking when they were naming things.  
  
Finally, it was Aena’s turn to reach the exterior of the zone. She was free.  
  
“I’M DEAD SERA!” she screamed one last time so her friend wouldn’t be calling her name again. She gently waved at the student on her left, then turned on her heels to walk back to the station. Retracing her steps through the forest, she was already thinking about what they had to do with the data of the day. She wasn’t sure she had entirely understood what the teachers had explained during the morning meeting. She would have to ask them for some precisions…  
  
“I’ve got you!”  
  
Aena yelped and almost tripped on a small tree coming out of the ground. Ugh, what a birch. Luckily for her, a strong arm caught her by the elbow, preventing her from falling head first into dead leaves. She parted the hair that had fallen into her face, only to discover a smiling Solas.  
  
“You _birch_.” She said out loud.  
  
“I will take that as a term of endearment.” He chuckled, and the sound made her smile.  
  
_He was_ _so_ … She straightened herself and turned towards him. His hand was still on her arm. _Nice. He was so nice._  
  
“How did you enjoy this day?” He asked her.  
  
“If I’m being honest, counting how many trees are in a forest wasn’t exactly on my bucket list.”  
  
He shook his head with a little smile. “I know it can appear trivial, but it _does_ provide useful information.” He raised his hands as to take the forest around him as evidence.  
  
Suddenly she felt like something was missing. _Nooo, please touch my arm again, right now I don’t care about trees…_ but she was soon looking at him once again, and listening to his beautiful voice once again. __  
  
“This part of the Brecilian forest is still mostly free of both human and industrial influence,” he stated. “And comparing its evolution and biodiversity with other parts of the Brecilian – but also with the Dales, the parts of the Tirashan we can access, the Arbor Wilds or the Planasene forest… It can help in the debates with governments. These old forests hold some rare species, and they _have to_ be preserved.”  
  
“Not to mention all the elvhen ruins scattered in those woods…” Aena added softly. She had been involved in some elvhen protests in the past, and knew first-hand the threats elves had to face. And her older sister had become a major figure after all. She was strong, inflexible, and was determined to use the system to win more rights for the elves. She was the first elf accepted into the prestigious Wycome University. She was Clan Lavellan’s First and an example to them all.  
  
Solas titled his head.  
  
“Yes, these old forests are _also_ important for the elves’ culture, I suppose.”  
  
She was surprised at his dismissive tone. He _was_ coming from Arlathan University, true, but he didn’t really seem like one of them… Did he truly think of himself as _anything else_ than an elf? If that was the case, she had bad news for him. Reaching up, she took the tip of his ear between her fingers. His eyes widened at the contact.  
  
“You’re an elf too, y’know. _Here_ are your pointy ears.” She told him in a serious tone while stroking them. They had now turned pink. So, he liked this. Good to know. After a few more strokes, she lowered her hands and nervously smoothed her hair against her cheek because she could feel herself starting to blush. Um. All of this was definitely easier when she was partly hiding.  
  
Solas seemed thoughtful for an instant. Ears still pink, she noticed. She liked that.  
  
“Yes.” He began cautiously. “Yes, you are perfectly right. I should remember this. Scientific objectivity can sometimes make you… detached from the reality of things,.”  
  
She smiled and took his hand in hers, changing the subject.  
  
“They will call me when they’ll have returned from the store. Care to take a walk with me in the mean time?”  
  
“With pleasure.” He answered, gently squeezing her hand.  
  
They started walking down the forest paths. At this hour of the day, the beams of the sun were a soft golden and illuminated the forest, creating a mysterious glow. Aena started thinking, as always. She was often thinking too much, but this situation was so uncommon that… well, she had to think about it carefully. And be clear about everything. Establish the rules, perhaps?  
  
She could hear Isabela’s voice scolding her for avoiding the topic. Yes, she had to. Awkward topic it would be then. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, then timidly looked up at him.    
  
“You know…” She started. “I’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday.”  
  
He didn’t interject, letting her time to gather her thoughts. He seemed to understand she needed time. She was grateful for that.  
  
“You know, about the… _physical thing_. That you had assumed I was doing… _what I was doing_ … just because I only wanted something physical. Well… In fact, I’m not physical. As a person. I mean… I can’t help it. With friends it’s ok, but…”  
  
“I understand.” He assured her.  
  
“What I want to say is that… Hmm. I like you. _You_ interest me. I find you _cute._ And I don’t mind this.” She added, raising their joined hands. “No, wait, that sounded wrong… I mean, I _like_ this! But also, I’m not used to that. It’s the first time I’m interested in someone and that this simple thing – holding hands – suddenly becomes something nice. Ah, I’m awkward. Sorry.”  
  
“You are doing just fine, Aena.”  
  
She blushed when he said her name. Damn, his voice made everything sound beautiful… She stopped walking and raised her head to him, smiling shyly.  
  
“Come down here, wolf, so I can kiss you.” She pleaded.  
  
“And the wolf must bow to the gentle bunny.” He said solemnly, brushing his lips against hers.  
  
They resumed walking through the forest, Aena’s heart lighter than before. She was handling all this very responsibly, she could be proud. She could be happy? She was impatient to discover what the future would be made of...  
  
His voice broke off her inner musings.  
  
“So you find me _cute_?” He suddenly said, chuckling.  
  
She rolled her eyes.  
  
“Of course, _that_ ’s what you remember of our discussion!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyya! thank you so much for the feedback and the nice comments, guys, it makes me SO happy and it's so encouraging! i just came back from a two-weeks vacations without my computer, so i had time to really plot this fic, and i'm impatient to write it! stay tuned! and as always, don't hesitate to come to [my blog](http://feyriane.tumblr.com), to chat or ask questions of you have some :3!
> 
> OH AND ALSO LOOK at this [drawing of Aena by punchflower](http://feyriane.tumblr.com/post/147340563998/punchflower-sihaofskyhold-s-oc-aena-lavellan) <3  
> ANd this [WONDERFUL PICS I commissioned from limpstella](http://feyriane.tumblr.com/post/146548715703/i-commissioned-wonderful-amazing-limpstella-to)


	8. Dragonflies

On Friday, after the morning briefing, Aena and her group went straight to the nearby river for the last experiment of their field work week. Sera was cackling ahead of her, happy to _“finally play in the mud”_ , as she’s been screaming all the way. Strange, for someone who didn’t want to be associated with elves – and even less with the Dalish. But Aena’s friends contradictions didn’t bother her anymore. She was used to it by now.  
  
Crossing the line of trees, Aena finally arrived on the river bank.  
  
The river was calm, peaceful. Its waters were flowing gently and reflecting the rising sun – making them shine and sparkle – a beautiful sight, even in the morning.  
  
And its waters were blue.  
  
Blue and devoid of any eutrophication or pollution.  
  
_Unlike back home_ … Ugh. Bitter. She felt bitter when thinking about it. __  
  
Clan Lavellan was dependent on the Minanter river for food, but the large cities upside of their reservation kept polluting it. The Dalish had brought up the problem to the humans _countless times_ , but the cities representatives kept rejecting the fault on each other. The elves’ fight was getting them nowhere and the already poor reservation now had to buy food from the cities’ human merchants.  
  
No wonder the humans didn’t want to fix the pollution problem…  
  
It made her sad to think about it. Aena and her older sister had so often played in the river when they were kids. Now, none of the Lavellan children had that opportunity anymore – indeed, no parent would let them approach the polluted waters.  
  
Sighing, she joined the others and lowered on the ground the aquariums they would use to hold all the little aquatic animals they’d catch. Then they’d have to identify them all. She knew _she_ would probably end up alone doing that job once again. Even sweet Bethany could not handle it for more than a few hours.  
   
Speaking of which, Bethany was already ankle-deep in the river, gathering the general water samples for chemical analysis. Was the water quality better or worse than the other years? They would eventually find out.  
  
The field report they had to write was so complex and long that Aena was starting to panick whenever she started thinking about it. So many things to do, so many statiscal analyses, and so little time. They had only _a week_ to complete it once they’d be back at Denerim University.  
  
But oh well. They’d manage. As always.  
  
Bracing herself, Aena closed in on the members of her field group. Usually, she was a shy being… But here, she was among friends, wasn’t she?  
  
“Carver, come with me - we’ll recover the bags!”  
  
The big boy nodded at her.  
  
“Aye, aye, captain!”  
  
Aena took off her shoes and socks, carefully putting them to the side. Many people thought Dalish elves didn’t wear shoes in their reservations – and that surely had been true at one point – but it wasn’t the case anymore. She remembered Sera asking about it more than once – but the blonde elf was busy speaking with another student at the moment.  
  
Aena ventured in the water, followed by a grimacing Carver. The water was cold, but nothing Aena wasn’t used to.  
  
They both made it to the center of the river, where the current was twirling gently around nearly exposed rocks. That’s where the assistants had put them – bags of smaller rocks and pebbles, between which animals had surely found shelter by now.  
  
_Sorry little guys_ , she thought.  
  
Carefully, Aena bent down and dislodged one of the bags from between the rocks. Carver was holding one of the empty aquariums, and she put the bags in it. When it was done, both of them went back to the river shore, where the other students were waiting. As Carver put the aquarium back to the ground, some of them looked inside, wondering if they could already spot some animals.  
  
“Come here, people!” Bethany shouted to everyone. All remaining students came closer, organizing themselves in groups of two. Soon, each group had a bag, two buckets and an empty aquarium.  
  
Aena found herself in a group with Carver. Sweet. He usually was quite persistent when assigned a task – so maybe she wouldn’t be alone for identification, this time.  
  
“Ready to find out which little beasties we got in there, Aena banana?”  
  
Aena rolled her eyes at the nickname but did not object. Even when they were ridiculous, she liked having nicknames. It meant people cared about her, right? It meant that she belonged? Right?  
  
“Ready!”  
  
She plunged her hand in the bucket, taking a handful of rocks and pebbles which she transferred in the other basin.  
  
When the dragonfly larvae crawled on her arm, Aena remembered Merrill’s words.  
  
Disgusting and awesome.  
  
That’s biology.  
  
  
***  
  
Eventually, some of the field trip professors arrived. Harding passed by with another group of students, telling them about some of the particular geology of the region.  
  
“Beyond the river we can observe older geological formations… _See?”_ said the geology teacher’s voice.  
  
Aena had that field session earlier in the week, so she didn’t listen to what Harding was saying. She stayed focused on the task at hand, giggling each time Carver was making a face as he pulled more and more little beasts from the water.  
  
“So this region is mainly formed of limestone rocks?”  
  
_Oh._  
  
Solas was accompanying today’s geological field trip, it seemed.  
  
Just her luck.  
  
Harding’s group stayed, until Aena and Carver had finished collecting their animals. The other groups were already leaving…  
  
She wanted to trail behind and speak to Solas – or at least only admire him – but she couldn’t really do it discretely, could she?  
  
He was really fucking her up, she thought – before scolding herself for the rude thoughts. What was she becoming? Her older sister would likely be both horrified _and_ delighted. Aena shook her head.  
  
“You coming, Aena banana?”  
  
Carver was holding their loot, looking at her expectantly.  
  
“I… uh. I’m going to stay a little, to hear what Harding is saying…” she lied.  
  
She was lying…  
  
Carver shrugged.  
  
“Suit yourself! ‘Going back to the station, I’ll wait for you.”  
  
Aena smiled while looking him go back to the forest.  
  
Aaaaaand… he was gone.  
  
Before she could turn back, a hand was on her shoulder.  
  
“Hello.”  
  
Solas was smiling at her.  
  
“You like geology _that much_?” he asked, almost innocently.  
  
She blushed.  
  
“Shut up…”  
  
Her voice was weak, and fortunately for her, Solas changed the subject.  
  
“Did you catch interesting things?”  
  
“Maybe. We’ll have to analyze the samples. Back… back at the station…”  
  
“I’ll see you in the laboratory, then… Later.” He teased.  
  
_Creators…_  
  
“Yeah… plenty of work to do. _Ugh_.”  
  
Solas smiled politely but did not add anything else before disappearing through the branches.  
  
Ha, was he disapproving of a student actually complaining about work? Wasn’t that the national sport in all universities?  
  
_Maybe not in Arlathan_.  
  
Aena distractedly noticed Solas wasn’t making any sound... Who didn’t make any sound while walking in a forest, really?  
  
“My, my, what a _naughty girl_ you are.”  
  
She almost tripped on her own feet – a situation happening more and more frequently these days, she briefly realized. Standing upright again, it took her a moment to realize _someone_ was standing between the trees right in front of her.  
  
His skin was tan and his blond hair were up to his shoulder, crowning him in an unreal gold light. Had magic existed in their world, Aena would have thought he was casting some spell on himself. He was grinning madly, apparently very satisfied of the effect he had on her.  
  
“Who _are_ you?” she asked, suspicious. She was sure he wasn’t a student in biology. Granted, he could be from a different major – like Sera or Bethany. But still, she hadn’t even seen him once since the beginning of the field trip. Which was… kind of worrying?  
  
“Oh, let’s change the subject if you like!” the other elf smiled. Then to Aena’s great surprise, he bowed to her. “I am Zevran. Zevran Arainai. I’m sorry if I startled you. I was trying to find one of my dear friends, but instead I found a student making out with a teacher.”  
  
“You came back to the subject I wanted to avoid!” She croaked miserably.  
  
Okay he had to be that guy Sera had told her about, right? A friend of Isa’s? At least he couldn’t really denounce her to the Denerim University, could he?  
  
“Now, I am a simple man. And chivalrous, with that. I will say _nothing_ about your little… adventure. But that is a story I’d like to hear about nonetheless.”  
  
“I… I don’t… I’m not sure…”  
  
Great, she was stammering now. This relationship was going to be hard if she reacted this way each time someone mentioned it… Of course, it was _supposed_ to stay a secret.  
  
Failed step one. Good job, Aena.  
  
“Isa wasn’t lying when she told me you were pretty.” Zevran added as if it were nothing.  
  
She blushed, unable to find her voice as he kept staring at her with a lop-sided smile.  
  
“I’m sorry, I am embarrassing you.” He smiled gently. “Would you be kind enough to guide me to the other students? As much as I like wandering in the woods, I am rather tired right now.”  
  
“Yes, of course.” She answered, trying her best to regain her composure. “This way.”  
  
They started walking towards the station. Zevran did not ask about Solas again (to her relief) so she started asking _him_ questions about himself. She learned that he was an exchange student from Antiva City and indeed an old friend of Isa’s. She wasn’t really sure she understood how they had met exactly – but given what the elf said, maybe it was better that way.  
  
“There’s the building.” She said when the old station suddenly came into view. They had crossed all the forest back, following the old rusted tracks. Timidly, she turned to Zevran. “Are you gonna stay here? I mean… sleep and all?”  
  
“Is that a proposal?” He winked.  
  
Aena rolled her eyes.  
  
What had she done to the world – to be surrounded by people like that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh gods i was stuck on this chapter, but here it is in the end! sorry if it's weaker, but i'll make up for it! i hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!
> 
> as always, [here's my blog](http://feyriane.tumblr.com), come talk to me and ask me questions :3


End file.
